


The Music Takes You

by mimikyuki



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Fluff, Kinda, M/M, just hyunghyuk being cute and dumb nothing new, lowkey crack but pretend it's serious, oh it's also cheesy i guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-26
Updated: 2019-02-26
Packaged: 2019-11-05 20:27:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17925791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mimikyuki/pseuds/mimikyuki
Summary: He runs. Runs towards the sound. Until it becomes more distinct. Until all of the static disappears. Until it takes him to his soulmate. But it stops. And once more he only hears the slow beat of his favorite song in one ear. Somehow, he feels incomplete.Soulmate AU where in a pair of AirPods, only one connects to you and the other one connects to your soulmate.





	The Music Takes You

**Author's Note:**

> Intended to be a crack fic but eventually became lowkey serious? (Or at least I tried to be.) Either way, just enjoy! This is my first ever fanfic so bear with me!
> 
> Based on this dumb AU idea I had

 

—

 

He can hear his own heart thumping loudly even with his music blasting in his ears. His palm on the subway handrail is starting to get clammy. It’s just the Apple Store, why is Hyungwon so nervous? Soon he’ll have his hands on a pair of AirPods. But not just any regular wireless earphones; AirPods will only be fully functional if you figure out who your soulmate is. Otherwise, you’re better off with just normal earphones. A couple of weeks ago on his birthday, his parents gave him money and insisted on him buying his own pair. So that’s how he ended up in this stuffy train on a Saturday when he would rather sleep in under a pile of fluffy warm blankets in his dorm and have last night’s leftovers as brunch around 2 P.M.  
  
Once the train reaches his stop, Hyungwon pulls up his scarf up to his nose and braves the cold. He passes by his favorite cafe, a cozy small family owned shop. It’s far enough from his university to not be crowded during finals week, but not too far to be inconvenient to get to. Which is why to his surprise, he sees a man with a beanie over his head full of blonde hair sitting at one of their few outdoor tables by himself, his nose buried in a book. But he doesn’t think much of it, making a beeline for the Apple Store, determined to get out of the freezing cold.  
  
On his way back to the subway clutching the paper bag with his new AirPods in one hand, he spots the same boy again. This time, there’s no book in sight, but a slice of chocolate cake took its place. Hyungwon looks away before they could make eye contact.  
  
“Oh hello!” He hears the boy call out. But there’s no one else in the vicinity but him. _So much for his attempt on avoiding social interactions._ Hyungwon stops walking to say hello.

 

“You’re in my literature class, right?” The boy asks. Hyungwon nods. The blonde’s eyes light up. “Great! That saves me from embarrassment. Have you started on the paper yet? I haven’t even finished reading my book yet! But that's okay because we still have a week left.” Hyungwon simply chuckles at that.

 

“Oh, sorry for rambling. I haven’t even introduced myself yet! I’m Minhyuk! Wanna have a seat with me?” The boy, Minhyuk, motions at the seat next to him.

 

As much as Hyungwon wants to decline to get out of the cold as soon as possible to retreat to the comfort of his dorm in his lonesome, there’s something about the not-so-strange stranger that makes his heart feel at ease. He agrees and sits down next to him. “Nice to meet you, Minhyuk! I’m Hyungwon.”

 

The more they chat, the more Hyungwon forgets about how cold he is and how he can’t feel his nose anymore. They chat about their university life, favorite animals (“I love whales! But people tend to associate me with puppies.”), even what’s in Hyungwon’s white paper bag, in which he mentions his parents’ unusual interest in his soulmate business. And soon enough it’s time for them to head back to their dorms, exchanging numbers before they part ways.

  


—

  


Once Hyungwon finished getting ready for bed, he reaches for a small white paper bag and takes out an even smaller box. He gingerly takes out his new set of AirPods and tests them out. Surely enough, only the left ear works. That night, as he drifts near the edge of consciousness, he wonders if the owner of his other AirPod thought about him too.

  


—

  


The next day, Hyungwon decided to use his new pair of AirPods, not expecting to find his soulmate but figures he might as well use it instead of his usual earphones. He plans on getting work done for his other classes before finishing up his literature paper. Hands warm in his pocket stepping out of the crowded subway, he strolls to his favorite cafe. But that’s weird. The mellow R&B music blasting on his left ear is suddenly not the only thing he’s hearing. His right ear, although slightly fuzzy, plays an upbeat pop song.

 

He runs. Runs towards the sound. Until it becomes more distinct. Until all of the static disappears. Until it takes him to his  _soulmate_. But it stops. And once more he only hears the slow beat of his favorite song in one ear. Somehow, he feels incomplete.

 

On the bright side, his soulmate unintentionally led him to his favorite cafe. Although the near miss disappointed Hyungwon. (On the other hand, he is relieved that he doesn’t have to walk thousands of miles to search for them, as they’re most likely from the area.)

 

“Hyungwon? Hey! Didn’t expect to see you here!” Hyungwon turns around to see Minhyuk waving at him while setting his bag down with his free hand. The blonde motions for the other to sit.

 

“Oh, hi Minhyuk!” Hyungwon greets, approaching him but remains standing. “Do you want to sit inside instead?”

 

Minhyuk notices Hyungwon’s shivering form with his hands in his coat pocket and his scarf almost completely covering his mouth. “What do you mean? It’s so nice outside! The weather is perfect!” He says with a teasing grin. Hyungwon rolls his eyes.

 

“Alright, I guess I’ll just sit inside by mysel-“

 

“W-wait! I’ll go with you!” Minhyuk says, frantically picking up his bag from the ground and his cup of piping hot chocolate from the table. Hyungwon chuckles at that.

 

They end up not getting any of their work done that afternoon.

  


—

  


The night before his literature paper is due, Hyungwon doesn’t have the luxury of coming to his favorite cafe. He settles for the campus library. The walk to the library is relatively quiet as it’s nearing the later evening hours, save for the melodic sound coming from his left AirPod.

 

Until he suddenly hears a distorted sound on his right. The closer he gets to the library, the more he recognizes the sad melody, a complete 180 from his soulmate’s music choice the other day. He makes a dash for the library, but after the last note of the song comes silence. Hyungwon comes to a halt, huffing both out of exhaustion and frustration. _Once again, so close._

 

As he reaches the entrance, he finds Minhyuk in a haste, with only one backpack strap on his shoulder. If Hyungwon didn’t call out for him, he wouldn’t have noticed the brunette.

 

“Hey, Won! Sorry, I have to go. I’m planning on taking a quick nap in my dorm and finish this paper before class. See you tomorrow!” And before Hyungwon could get a word in, Minhyuk is gone. With no distractions except for his mysterious disappearing soulmate, Hyungwon finishes his paper that night.

 

—

  
  


“Changkyun-ah.” The said boy looks up from his laptop with a hum, urging for the older to continue. “You found your soulmate using your AirPods, right?”

 

Changkyun raises his eyebrows. “What made you ask me that all of the sudden, hyung?”

 

“My parents convinced me to get my own pair of AirPods,” Hyungwon sighs, stretching his long legs while leaning back on the couch.

 

Changkyun nods, closing his laptop and plops down next to his hyung. “Well? What do you think?”

 

“I didn’t expect to hear something from the other ear on my first _week._ ”

 

Changkyun’s jaw drops in disbelief. “That’s not fair, hyung! It took me months to hear anything from Jooheon-hyung!”

 

“Yeah? Well, you’ve never been the outdoorsy type,” Hyungwon nonchalantly says. His face soon meets a throw pillow, courtesy of Changkyun.

 

“Says the one who only wants to sleep all day.”

  


—

  


Collective groans and chatter are heard across the room as soon as the professor uttered the words “group project.” Save for Minhyuk and Hyungwon, who instinctively looks at each other, silently confirming to be each other's partners. (The following literature class after their initial meeting at the cafe, Hyungwon found Minhyuk sitting at the desk next to his usual spot. He didn't object. He doesn't have to suffer through this class alone anymore.)

 

“Hey Won, you want to start on the project later?” Minhyuk asks him after class as they stuff their books in their bags.

 

Hyungwon mentally checks his schedule for the day. “That sounds good. Is my dorm fine?”

 

Minhyuk nods, almost excitedly. “Sounds good! I’ll bring snacks.”

  


Hyungwon slips on his AirPods before doing a last-minute clean in his dorm— shoving piles of clothes both clean and used inside his closet, throwing away takeout boxes from a few nights ago, and haphazardly making his bed when he starts hearing a song popular in Korea at the moment. He’s heard it a few times in a couple of shops before.

 

He reaches for the door but decides against it when he remembers that Minhyuk is coming over in a few minutes, and figures his soulmate could wait. Although he doesn’t have time to reconsider his decision because the music stops shortly, and he hears a knock on his door after that.

  


—

  


The amount of times Hyungwon almost encounters his soulmate during the span of almost half a year was too much to count. And it’s beginning to frustrate Hyungwon enough for him to have the urge to pull at his hair in defeat. On a much lighter note, his frequent hangouts and study dates with his new friend Minhyuk were enough to keep him distracted from his soulmate searching.

 

On this particular Saturday night, Hyungwon finds himself curled up in a thick blanket on the floor of Minhyuk’s dorm mindlessly watching TV right next to the said boy, who has his back against the couch and legs stretched out in front of him, staring at his notebook with his eyebrows scrunched up while biting on his pen.

 

Hyungwon finds himself falling asleep when he hears Minhyuk sigh and place his notebook and pen on the coffee table. _He’s probably stuck again on the writing assignment,_ Hyungwon figures, sitting up from his cozy position on the floor.

 

“Take a break for a while?” Hyungwon suggests him. Minhyuk nods, stretching. The two turns their focus to the TV — which is on a variety show, with the TV’s volume on low — and sits in a comfortable silence. Which doesn’t happen very often, but sometimes they are just satisfied to have each other’s company.

 

Eventually, Hyungwon decides to break the silence with what had been bothering him for a few months, telling the older about his soulmate that comes and goes.

 

Minhyuk’s jaw drops. “You’ve been hearing your soulmate’s music a lot? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

 

“Well, you never asked. Why does it matter so much, anyway?”

 

“I-it’s nothing. I’m just surprised, that’s all,” Minhyuk says, quickly waving his hand. Hyungwon raises an eyebrow. Minhyuk isn’t the type to get flustered easily.

 

“I-it’s a huge deal, you know? N-nevermind. It’s just that, I’ve been hearing my soulmate’s music a lot recently, too.” Now it’s Hyungwon’s jaw that drops.

 

“You have a pair of AirPods? Why didn’t you tell _me_ sooner?”

 

“Well, you never asked!” Minhyuk says, copying the same tone Hyungwon had used earlier. The younger lightly shoves Minhyuk on the shoulder.

 

“Seriously, you never did!”

 

For the rest of the night, Hyungwon never noticed the uneasy glances Minhyuk sent his way.

  


—

  


“Hyungwon, I need you to come and meet me at the cafe tonight,” Minhyuk tells Hyungwon over the phone. Hyungwon doesn’t question it but senses the urgency in his voice. He throws on a hoodie, slips in his AirPods, and heads to their usual hangout.

 

To his astonishment, a few meters from his destination, he hears a catchy pop song (in English, that he’s sworn he’s heard before, and not just from a TV show). He runs. Not letting his soulmate get away this time.

 

In one of the tables in front of the cafe, he sees Lee Minhyuk sitting with two cups of hot chocolate, smiling from ear to ear as he moves his hair to show his ears.

 

“Havana by Camila Cabello. Really, Min?” Hyungwon says, grinning.

**Author's Note:**

> I dedicate this to mbb tummy pact, and also happy birthday to my almost birthday twin and soul sista Ayi! (Had to rush the parts I was stuck in because I want this to be ready by your birthday, but I hope you like it anyway!)


End file.
